Basketball shooting coach

ABSTRACT

A basketball shooting coach aid device used to help individuals learn how to keep their elbow tucked to the side of their body while keeping the forearm and elbow at a 90 degree angle while shooting a basketball. The basketball shooting coach is a self contained square in shape device that is worn or either the right or left arm depending on the individual wearing the unit. The device consists of a speaker, IC voice chip, batteries, arm straps, and an adjustable sensitivity switch all enclosed in a light weight plastic cover. The basketball shooting aid casing will have a speaker grille to help increase the volume, a sensitivity control cavity to control how sensitive the device is, a Velcro straps that allow the device to fit over an individual&#39;s forearm, and an on and off switch. If the alarm sounds when the individual uses the device then the individual is using bad form. The basketball shooting coach aid reconditions the body and mind through response conditioning which is a way to modify behavior and this will give the individual a consistent shot when shooting a basketball.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent applicationSer. No. 61/130,508, filed 2008 Jun. 2 by the present inventor.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

None

SEQUENCE LISTING

None

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a basketball shooting aid, and morespecifically, to a basketball shooting aid which trains people on how toproperly shoot a basketball.

2. Prior Art

There is a right way and a wrong way to everything including shooting abasketball. When people learn how to shoot a basketball, usually askids, they develop improper shooting skills in order to throw abasketball toward the basketball rim. They either throw the basketballunder hand or over hand like a shot-putter.

A lot of coaches and parents allow kids to shoot a basketball the wrongway because they probably don't know that there is a proper way to shoota basketball. So millions of kids are spending thousands of hourspracticing how to shoot a basketball, which is good, but it is the wrongway, which is bad. This bad form of shooting a basketball then followsthe kid into adulthood.

Just because you are looking at the basketball rim doesn't mean that thebasketball will automatically go there. You need the help of your armsto help the basketball reach the place you want it to go. However, theproblem is when people shoot a basketball their elbow comes away fromthe side of their body and it causes the forearm to move from a straightup position to a slanted position; it can be compared to a bird wingwhen it flaps out. When people shoot with their elbow out there is noconsistency in their shot because the elbow will move to a differentspot every time someone shoots the basketball. In the past, the only wayto fix the bad form problem was to hire a professional basketballshooting coach but many people cannot afford this solution.

Previously, inventors have created several types of basketball shootingaids in such a way to help people learn how to shoot a basketball. U.S.Pat. No. 6,645,093 to Sheppard (2003) which discloses an arm bar whichholds the shooters arm in a desired position by means of a back plate;however, this can add unwanted weight to a shooting which could causethem to overshoot the rim when the device is not being worn. U.S. Pat.No. 6,758,768 to Spencer (2004) discloses an apparatus with a bulls eyemounted behind a backboard that gives the shooting something to targetwhile shooting. If the shooter aims the basketball towards the bulls eyethey will hit the backboard and make the shot but this device replacesthe teaching of using the box that is already placed on all backboardsand this device doesn't teach the proper form when shooting. People canbend their bodies any way they have to just to get the basketball up inthe air to try and hit the bulls eye but proper form is still lacking.Again, just because you are looking at a basketball rim or at abasketball backboard does not mean that the basketball willautomatically go there when you shoot it.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,041,015 to Sowders (2006) teaches an individual propertechnique when shooting by the way an individual grips the basketballand with the release of the basketball. An equatorial track shows if theball was shot properly by the way the track falls. This device wouldwork well if that is the only way you could release a basketball but anindividual should be ready to shoot when the ball reaches the hands andthey may not have time to line up the equatorial track in a basketballgame.

All these devices are either to restricting to the shooting arm or don'tfocus in on the technique of properly shooting a basketball. Thus, thereis a need and there has never been disclosed a basketball shooting aidwhich will help people learn the proper way to shoot a basketball. TheBasketball Shooting Coach will improve an individual's ability to putthe ball in the hoop and will be an exciting and awesome educationaldevice for kids of all ages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

When you shoot a basketball the goal is to face the basketball rim andkeep the elbow and forearm in a 90 degree position. You want to keep theelbow tucked into your side and follow though in that same 90 degreeposition until you release the ball. When you shoot the basketball ifyour elbow comes away from your side then the forearm will go from astraight up position to a slanted position.

The present invention relates to a uniquely designed device that teachespeople of all ages the proper way to shoot a basketball. I call theinvention The Basketball Shooting Coach. The invention is a selfcontained unit that is worn on the forearm of the individual. Theinvention can be placed on either forearm weather the individual shootswith their right or left arm. The invention will consist of a speaker,IC voice chip, batteries, arm straps, and an adjustable sensitivityswitch all enclosed in a light weight plastic square case.

Inside the adjustable sensitivity switch is a ball, a floor that theball sits on, and a plate. The ball inside the switch will be mobile andit will be able to roll freely from one end of the switch to the otherend. One end of the switch will have a plate and the other end will nothave a plate. The ball will rest at the end of the switch that does nothave the plate. When the individual uses the invention, if the ballrolls to the end of the switch that has the plate then an alarm willsound. The plastic case will have a speaker grille to help increase thevolume and a sensitivity control cavity to control how sensitive theswitch is; both are visible from the outside of the invention.

To use the above described device, an individual will insert his or herforearm between the arm straps and the back of the device. The armstraps are wrapped about a supporting surface and the buckle insert isplaced into its respective slot on the outside backside of devicecasing. When the device is between the wrist and elbow the straps arepulled tight so the invention secures firmly to the forearm. Once theinvention is secure on the individual's forearm then it can be turned ONusing the ON switch located on the outside of the casing. Once theinvention is in the ON position then the individual is ready to beginusing the invention.

The individual should just relax the arm making it parallel to the body.Then the individual should get ready to receive a basketball either frompicking it up or by having someone throw it to them. Once the basketballis in the individual's hand, the individual should keep his or her elbowtucked close to the side of their body while making sure the elbow andforearm are in a 90 degree position facing the basketball rim and thenjust shoot as normal remembering to release the ball at its highestpoint.

Keeping the elbow tucked close to the side of the body will help keepthe forearm straight which is proper technique when shooting abasketball. However, if the elbow moves away from the side of the bodythen the forearm will automatically move to the left or right dependingon the arm the individual has the invention on. This will cause the ballinside the sensitivity switch to roll to the end that has a plate andthis will cause the invention to sound an alarm.

The present invention is a basketball shooting aid device that isextremely easy and inexpensive to manufacture. Further, the presentinvention is also easy to use, and is not obtrusive to the individualwhen shooting a basketball. Further, the present device reconditions themind and body. The technique is called response conditioning and is usedto modify behavior; in this case it is bad form when shooting thebasketball. Other features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following a more detailed description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way ofexample, the principles of the invention.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

Accordingly, the reader will see that the basketball shooting coach ofthis invention can be used to improve an individual's technique forshooting a basketball. The basketball shooting coach can be easilyapplied and removed from an individual's forearm, is simple to use, andis light enough so it doesn't add any extra weight to the individual'sarm while shooting. The alarm also makes it easy for the individual toknow when they are shooting improperly.

Although the description above contains specificities, these should notbe construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merelyproviding illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodimentsof this invention. For example, the basketball shooting coach can haveother shapes such as an oval, triangle; and also be designed with adigital number indicator that is placed on the outside of the inventionto keep track of the total good and bad shots taken with the aid.

Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appendedclaims and their equivalents, rather than by the examples given.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the invention, illustrating the speaker,IC voice chip, sensitivity switch, batteries, speaker grille,sensitivity switch cavity, ball, plate, casing, positive wire, andnegative wire.

FIG. 2 is a cut-away top view of the invention in the rest positionwrapped around the arm.

FIG. 3 is a cut-away top view of the invention when it is on the forearmand the forearm and elbow is at a 90 degree angle while shooting usingproper form. The invention is wrapped around the forearm.

FIG. 4 is a cut-away top view of the invention when it is not keptstraight the ball will roll and touch the plate on the other end wrappedaround the arm. The invention is wrapped around the forearm using badform.

FIG. 5 is a close-up perspective view of the invention sensitivityswitch section of the invention.

DRAWINGS Reference Numerals

-   10-Speaker-   20-IC Voice Chip-   30-Cell Batteries-   40-Sensitivity Switch-   50-Speaker Grille-   60-Ball-   70-Plate-   80-casing-   90-Positive Wire-   95-Negative Wire-   100-Sensitivity Switch Adjustment Lever-   110-Straps-   120-Sensitivity Switch Cavity

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the invention. The invention is powered bycell batteries 30 and when it is activated with an ON and OFF switch theball 60 inside the sensitivity switch 40 will be in its rest positioninside the sensitivity switch 40. When the ball 60 rolls from one end ofsensitivity switch 40 to the other end of sensitivity switch 40 then theball 60 will make contact with a plate 70 located inside the switch 40.Once the ball 60 makes contact with the plate 70 then the positive wire90 and negative wire 95 will carry a signal to the IC voice chip 20signaling the alarm. When the alarm is signaled the positive wire 90 andnegative wire 95 will carry a signal to the speaker 10 so that the alarmis heard. All of the items will be enclosed inside casing 80. Casing 80will have a speaker grille 50 that will be opposite of speaker 10 toproject the volume of the alarm from the IC voice chip 20. Thesensitivity switch 40 will have a sensitivity switch adjustment lever100 that will fit through the sensitivity switch cavity 120. Thesensitivity switch adjustment lever 100 will be reachable from theoutside of the casing 80 so the sensitivity of the invention can beadjusted to a certain point. The back of speaker 10 will be attached tothe casing 80.

FIG. 2 is a cut-away top view of the invention, illustrating the straps110 wrapped around the arm. The strap 110 is a Velcro strap so it can beeasily adjusted to fit the arm of the individual. The casing 80 is asquare construction of a light weight plastic material that has handledon the back for the straps to fit through. The speaker 10 is connectedto the inside of the casing 80. The speaker 10 is attached to the ICvoice chip 20. The IC voice chip 20 is connected to the sensitivityswitch 40. The sensitivity switch adjustment lever 100 is shownextending from casing 80. Inside the sensitivity switch 40 is a ball 60as well as the plate 70. The ball 60 is in the rest position.

FIG. 3 is a cut-away top view of the invention, illustrating the straps110 wrapped around the arm. The strap 110 is a Velcro strap so it can beeasily adjusted to fit the arm of the individual. The casing 80 is asquare construction of a light weight plastic material that has handledon the back for the straps to fit through. The speaker 10 is connectedto the inside of the casing 80. The speaker 10 is attached to the ICvoice chip 20. The IC voice chip 20 is connected to the sensitivityswitch 40. The sensitivity switch adjustment lever 100 is shownextending from casing 80. Inside the sensitivity switch 40 is a ball 60and when the arm moves using the perfect form then the ball 60 will moveinto a hollow area.

FIG. 4 is a cut-away top view of the invention, illustrating the straps110 wrapped around the arm. The strap 110 is a Velcro strap so it can beeasily adjusted to fit the arm of the individual. The casing 80 is asquare construction of a light weight plastic material that has handledon the back for the straps to fit through. The speaker 10 is connectedto the inside of the casing 80. The speaker 10 is attached to the ICvoice chip 20. The IC voice chip 20 is connected to the sensitivityswitch 40. The sensitivity switch adjustment lever 100 is shownextending from casing 80. Inside the sensitivity switch 40 is a ball 60,and if the ball 60 moves from its rest position to the opposite end ofthe switch 40 it will touch a plate 70 that will trigger an alarm fromIC voice chip 20.

FIG. 5. is an exploded view of the sensitivity switch 40. The enlargedpicture of the sensitivity switch 40 is showing the ball 60 being ableto roll from one end of the sensitivity switch 40 to the opposite end.The picture also shows the plate 70 and if the ball 60 touches it willtrigger an alarm. The sensitivity switch adjustment lever 100 is alsoshown.

1. A basketball shooting aid that is worn on the forearm and held to theforearm with straps that are fixed to the basketball shooting aidcasing, and on the inside of the said aid is a sensitivity switch, andthere is a ball on the inside of said sensitivity switch. When the saidball rolls from one end of the said sensitivity switch to the oppositeend of the said sensitivity switch then an alarm will sound.
 2. The saidbasketball shooting aid of claim 1, wherein said cover has an elongatedsquare casing.
 3. The said basketball shooting aid of claim 2, whereinsaid casing does not have a length of more than 4 inches
 4. The saidbasketball shooting aid of claim 2, wherein said casing is made of ahollow plastic material.
 5. The said basketball shooting aid of claim 1,wherein said aid is held in place on the outside of the forearm withpreferably said straps that are Velcro.
 6. The said basketball shootingaid of claim 1, wherein has said controllable sensitivity switch forhelping individuals maintain proper form when shooting a basketball. 7.The said basketball shooting aid of claim 6, wherein said sensitivityswitch will have an alarm that is triggered when said ball touches saidplate which is on the opposite end of said switch.
 8. The saidbasketball shooting aid apparatus of claim 6, wherein said sensitivityswitch will have an IC voice chip
 9. The said basketball shooting aid ofclaim 8, wherein said ic voice chip can have any sound that is able tobe placed on a voice chip.
 10. The said basketball shooting aid of claim1, wherein by teaching individuals to tuck the elbow while shooting.